A Death In The Family
by Michelle11
Summary: The enitre Cunningham family is affected when tragedy strikes. Chapter 5 is up!
1. Prologue: Joanie's Diary

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Garry Marshall does. I'm just having fun. This story takes place during the last season of Happy Days, shortly after  
Fonzie's breakup with Ashley but before Joanie and Chachi's wedding.  
  
Joanie's Diary  
  
Arthur Fonzarelli sat alone at the kitchen table in his small apartment at Kahuna Village, drinking a soda. Silence permeated the room, as had been the case for days now. Fonzie wouldn't even leave the apartment to go to work, he just sat and stared into space. Occasionally he would try to watch television, but he found it too hard to concentrate. All he could think about was Ashley. The love of his life.well, was she really? He wondered about that a lot. Potsie had stopped by.so had Chachi and Roger, but Fonzie didn't really want to talk about how he was feeling. It somehow made him feel uncool to look vulnerable, at least in front of those guys. He had tried to call Richie in California, but Richie was so excited about the birth of his little girl that Fonz didn't want to bring him down with his problems. So he just sat at home, moping.  
  
Ashley.Ashley.Ashley. Fonzie had never dated any girl as long as he had dated Ashley. He had never WANTED to. For the first time in his life, he thought he had found a girl that he could spend the rest of his life with. That was, until she decided to go back with her ex-husband. How could Fonzie blame her, though? After all, Ashley and her ex had a child together.Heather. Heather deserved to have her mom and dad together. Heather was a great kid. Fonzie missed her almost as much as he missed Ashley. But now they were both gone. Gone forever to go and live the life that they both deserved. Fonzie looked at the clock. It was 10:30pm. He stood, grabbed his helmet, and left.  
  
As Fonz drove by the Cunningham's house, he noticed that the kitchen light was on, but the rest of the house was dark. Fonzie knew this was Mrs. C's way of letting him know that the back door was open, and he was welcome to come in and grab something to eat. He pulled into the driveway, surprised to see Mr. C's car there. They must be in bed. Fonz opened the kitchen door, startling Mrs. C, who was in her bathrobe, pouring a glass of milk.  
  
"Oh! Arthur!" She jumped slightly, spilling some milk.  
  
"I'll get that, Mrs. C." Fonz grabbed a towel off the counter and  
wiped up the milk. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya."  
  
"That's okay, dear." Marion kissed Fonzie on the cheek, and he  
blushed. "Sit down. Would you like me to fix you something to eat?"  
  
"No, that's ok Mrs. C, I'm not hungry." Fonzie sat down at the kitchen  
table.  
  
Marion stood, looking at Fonzie. "Something to drink? How about some  
cocoa?"  
  
Fonzie looked down at the table, tracing the circles on the placemat  
with his finger. "No thanks."  
  
Marion continued to wait for Fonzie to reveal his reason for being  
there, but he just sat quietly. "Arthur? Is there something I can help you with?"  
  
Fonzie sighed.  
  
Marion sat down. "Are you still upset about Ashley dear?"  
  
"No." Fonz abruptly stood up and straightened his leather jacket. "I was just.ah." Fonz looked down and saw a box full of books. "What's this?"  
  
Marion stood and lifted the box onto the table. "Oh, these are some of Richie and Joanie's old books that we're donating to the Salvation Army." She started going through the box. "A Tale of Two Cities.Moby Dick.oh this one was Joanie's favorite, The Diary of Anne Frank."  
  
Fonzie picked up one of the books and looked at it. "Books, huh?"  
  
"You know," Marion began, an idea creeping into her head, "whenever one of the kids was feeling down, I'd always find them with their nose in one of these books. They'd be transported into a far off land, full of mystery and drama.it always seemed to make them feel so much better."  
  
"Really?" Fonzie contemplated that for a moment. "Mrs. C.could I."  
  
"Here, Arthur." Marion picked up the box and handed it to Fonzie. "Why don't you take these?"  
  
"Hey, thanks, Mrs. C. Thanks a lot. Maybe these'll help."  
  
"Help with what, dear?" Marion asked, hoping Fonzie would open up to her.  
  
"Oh. Uh.nothing. I've just been bored lately, that's all." Fonzie started for the door.  
  
"Ok," Marion smiled. "Goodnight, Arthur."  
  
Fonzie stopped to kiss Marion on the cheek. "Thanks, Mrs. C."  
  
"You're welcome." Fonzie left, and Marion shut off the light. Poor dear, she thought to herself. He's not fooling anyone.  
Joanie Cunningham sat watching from her darkened bedroom window as the motorcycle drove away. She had heard Fonzie pull into the driveway a few moments earlier, when she was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. A sinking feeling settled into her, but she wasn't sure if it was empathy for the heartbreak Fonz was feeling by Ashley's hand, or if it was because of her uneasiness about her own life, and affairs of the heart. It had been a few weeks since she and Chachi had decided to see other people again.in fact it seemed to be something of a pattern in their relationship, and Joanie wondered if it was some sort of sign from a greater power that Chachi wasn't her soul mate. At times Joanie felt guilty, because she knew exactly why she had started dating Chachi in the first place.because he reminded her of Fonzie. And although she always figured her childhood crush on Fonzie would fade eventually, and although she truly did love Chachi, at least at some point, this urging to comfort and protect Fonz, the way he had done for her all these years, would not go away. It felt less and less like a crush every day.every year.and more and more like destiny. Joanie was not sure that she could hide it any longer. The urge was too great. Every time he put his arm around her, every time he touched her cheek, she felt it. But did he feel it too?  
  
Joanie got up from her seat by the window and went back to bed.  
  
When Fonzie got home he went through the box of books, not yet having the concentration to actually read them, but to just sort them into two piles. He divided them by who he thought their owner would've been. "Red.Shortcake.Red.Shortcake." He stopped when he found a blue book with the word DIARY embossed in gold on the cover. "Diary?" he mumbled to himself. "Oh this must be that book Mrs. C mentioned.Anne Franklin or something." Fonzie opened the book, and to his surprise, instead of typewritten pages, all of the words were handwritten. "What the?" He flipped through the pages, reading bits and pieces.  
  
.I couldn't believe what Jenny did the other night, taking off with that carload of guys like that. If I told my parents about that, they'd never let me near her again! Luckily Potsie was at Arnold's and he gave me a ride home.  
  
"Whoa!" Fonzie slammed the book shut. "That's not Anne Franklin, that's Shortcake's diary!" He stared at the book in his hands, and wondered if she knew it had been misplaced. He imagined that she hadn't intentionally left it out for the Salvation Army. As much as he hated to admit it, he actually wanted to take another peak. "No," Fonz said to himself. He set the book down on the table and walked over to the window. "I can't read her diary. She'd never forgive me." He turned back and looked at the book. "She don't have to know, though. But I can't lie to her. One page.I'll just read one page."  
  
Fonzie walked back over to the table and picked up the book.. He flipped through a few pages until he noticed an entry that was a couple years old that contained his name. "Hey," Fonz smiled. "I wonder what she had to say about me." He began to read.  
  
Every time he looks at me I practically melt. But I know my parents wouldn't approve of the way I feel about Fonzie.  
  
"WHOA!" Fonzie jumped, almost dropping the book. He felt a weird feeling inside, almost like his heart skipped a beat. He had never felt that before. He continued to read.  
  
And what about Chachi? He would be devastated if he ever found out how in love I am with Fonzie. But I can't help it. I know the situation is helpless, though. I know he thinks of me as just a kid. Probably like a sister. He can never know how I feel.  
  
Fonzie shut the book and sat down at the table. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine that Joanie felt this way. Impossible. Completely impossible. Fonzie was sure that she was head over heals in love with Chachi. Wasn't she? Fonzie shook his head. "It's just a crush." He opened the book again and read the date above the entry. "This is two years old. I'm sure it was just some kind of teenage crush." But somehow this didn't make Fonz feel any better. In fact, he felt kind of disappointed.  
  
"That's all it was." Fonzie flipped to the back of the book, to the more recent entries, in an effort to confirm his suspicion. But all he found was more proof of the contrary.  
  
I haven't been able to sleep for the past few nights. Ashley left Fonzie. He hasn't been around as much as usual, and when I do see him he's not his same old self. Dad says not to worry, that he'll snap out of it eventually. It hurts me so much to see him like this, but I suspect that even if I tried to talk to him, he wouldn't open up to me. He won't even talk to his own cousin. Speaking of Chachi, I'm starting to believe that he and I were never meant to be. Ever since we broke up, the very sight of him makes me want to run and hide. I don't know, maybe it's guilt. I know that the only reason I ever started dating him was because I knew that I could never be with the one I really love.Fonzie.  
  
Fonzie looked at the date at the top of the entry. It was last Tuesday. He closed the book. Suddenly, Ashley was the furthest thing from his mind.  
  
The next morning, Joanie ran down the stairs of the Cunningham house like a woman possessed. "Mom!" she shouted as she ran through the living room and into the kitchen, where Marion was making breakfast. "Mom, have you seen my diary?"  
  
"No dear," Marion said as she cracked eggs into a frying pan. "Not since the time Richie hung it from the tree in the back yard when you wouldn't give him back his squirt gun." Marion laughed. "I remember how you jumped up and down like a little kangaroo trying to reach it."  
  
"Mom," Joanie interrupted her. "I mean recently. It was in my bookcase yesterday, and now it's gone."  
"Oh." Marion put her finger to her lip. "It wasn't on the top shelf with the books you said I could give away, was it?"  
  
"Oh, Mom," Joanie sat down at the kitchen table. "You didn't - did you? Did you give my diary to the Salvation Army?"  
  
"No." Marion covered her eyes with her hand. "I gave it to Arthur."  
  
"What?!" Joanie's stomach felt as if it had dropped out from under her. "You gave my diary to Fonzie?!"  
  
"Well Joanie, most people keep their diary under their bed or in their dresser drawer! How was I to know it would be with the rest of your books?"  
  
"I thought it would be safe to keep it there after Richie moved out," Joanie sulked. "Oh, Mom, what am I going to do? What if he read it?"  
  
"Richie?" Marion asked.  
  
"No, Mom, Fonzie!" Joanie was starting to lose patience as she imagined Fonzie's reaction to what she wrote about her feelings for him. Her stomach was really beginning to hurt now.  
  
"Now, Joanie, what interest would Arthur have in your diary?" Marion poured her daughter a glass of milk in hope of calming her down.  
  
Joanie giggled nervously. "You'd be surprised."  
  
"Really, dear, if it's that big a deal why don't you just go to his apartment and ask for it back?"  
  
Joanie sunk lower in her chair. "I guess I really don't have a choice, do I?"  
  
Fonzie paced the length of his apartment, wringing his hands. He had gotten no sleep the entire night, and now this morning his mind was racing. The very idea.Joanie in love with him? Fonz knew that he should just pretend that he never even saw the diary. But something - some nagging little something - was telling him to talk to her about it. The truth was, he was flattered. Perhaps even too flattered, and that's what worried him. All these years he had looked at Joanie as a child.as the kid sister he never had. Not because he wanted to, but because it was expected. Dating her was never a possibility, first because she was too young, and now because.well, just because! She said it herself in the diary, her parents would never approve.  
  
"What am I doing?" Fonz asked himself, getting more agitated by the minute. "I shouldn't even be considering this! I shouldn't even be thinking about it!" Truth be told, Fonz DID find Joanie attractive. She had a quality that set her above and beyond any woman that Fonzie had ever known, even Ashley. And to think that Joanie had feelings for him.well, that just blew Fonz away. Her attraction to Chachi all these years was only an act, apparently. "No," Fonz sat down on the sofa and buried his head in his hands. "It can't be true. This has to be some kind of mistake. And why am I so crazy about this? It's only a chick." Fonz felt guilty even saying that. Shortcake is more than just a chick.  
  
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Expecting it to be Potsie, or - oh God - Chachi, Fonz barked a tense "Who is it?"  
  
"It's Joanie."  
  
Fonzie froze. Stay cool, stay cool, he thought to himself. "Uh." He looked at the kitchen table quickly to be sure he had put the diary back in the box. "Come in!"  
  
Joanie slowly opened the door and walked in. Fonzie, trying to act as cool as possible, leaned against the table, his arms crossed, watching her. "Hey, Shortcake. What brings you here?" The expression on her face was utter fear. She looked positively frightened. Alright, enough with the cool act. "Joanie." he began as he walked toward her.  
  
Joanie burst into tears. "I came to.I came to." she tried to continue her sentence, but couldn't.  
  
"Hey." Fonzie's protective side overtook his nervousness, and he put his arm around her. "Sweetheart, calm down. Come sit down."  
  
He led her to the couch and they sat. "Joanie," Fonz said as he turned to face her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh, Fonz.I don't know why I'm crying. It's just, well, my mom accidentally gave you my diary in with that old box of books." Joanie looked down and straightened her mini-skirt, trying to avoid eye contact.  
  
"Oh, really?" Fonzie also avoided eye contact, in an effort to play dumb.  
  
"Yeah, um.you didn't read it, did you?" Joanie continued to stare down at her lap, playing with the hem.  
  
Fonzie watched Joanie's face, and sensed that lying about the diary wouldn't help either one of them. He saw something there that he had never really noticed before - the softness and beauty of a wonderful woman, who deserved to know the truth, even if it was slightly inconveniencing. Either way, he knew things would never be the same. Softly, he said, "I did see some of it. But it was an accident. I thought it was Anne Franklin's diary."  
  
Joanie looked slightly confused, but decided to ignore the last part of his statement. She tensed visibly. "Which part did you see?"  
  
"I'm afraid that I saw the part that you're afraid I saw." Fonzie put his hand on Joanie's.  
  
Joanie covered her face with her free hand and began to quietly sob. "Oh, Fonz."  
  
"Hey, hey, hey.why are you crying? There's nothing to be upset  
about."  
  
Joanie turned her tearstained face toward Fonzie. "You're not  
mad at me?"  
  
"Joanie," Fonzie put his arm around her and squeezed. "How could  
you think for  
one second that I'd be mad at you? So you dig the Fonz. I mean, why  
should you be  
different from every other female in the greater Milwaukee area?"  
  
Joanie sobbed harder.  
  
"Hey, just a little levity to break the tension. Okay, you're not in a joking mood." Fonzie took Joanie's face in his hand and gently turned it toward him. "Shortcake, look at me. This is very important. I want you to tell me exactly how you feel. Tell me the truth."  
  
Joanie took a deep breath. Fonzie handed her a tissue, and she wiped her eyes. "Everything I wrote in my diary is true.this is really hard for me to say."  
  
"That's okay. Just say it. Take your time."  
  
"Well, I've had a crush on you since I was fifteen. At least, I thought it was a crush. I just ignored it, because I knew I never had a shot with you. You were always surrounded by all these beautiful women."  
  
Fonz smiled and rubbed his fingertips on his jacket. "This is true."  
  
Joanie smiled, then continued. "I kept waiting for my crush to go away, Fonz, but it never did. And then Chachi got involved, and everything just got so much more complicated. I don't know.all I know is that the way that I feel when I'm with you.it's not like any feeling I've ever had before. Oh, I know I must sound so childish and stupid."  
  
Fonz sat listening intently. "Can I say something now?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"First of all, no you don't sound childish and stupid. Joanie, you're twenty years old, you're a grown woman. You wouldn't be telling me about these feelings if they didn't mean something to you. Secondly.now, I am going to tell you something that I have never told anyone, not even my best friend Richie. Mainly because he would've killed me.but anyway, no one knows this. I.well.I, uh." Fonzie's expression grew worried. "I've never had such a hard time saying this to a girl before. Joanie, I.for a long time, I've had feelings for you that, well."  
  
Joanie awaited Fonzie's words anxiously. "Yes?"  
  
"I don't even know how to say this. I guess I'll just say it."  
  
"What Fonz?"  
  
"I love you." Fonz let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "And I don't mean as a kid sister, or a friend. I mean.I really love you. I'm in love with you." Fonz said the words before he could even stop himself. He wasn't even sure where they came from. But as soon as he got them out, he felt relief like he had never felt before in his life.  
  
"Oh, Fonz!" Joanie began to cry again.  
  
"Shortcake." Fonzie was still stunned, but was confused by Joanie's tears. "Why are you crying again?"  
  
"They're not tears of sadness, they're tears of happiness!" Joanie took a breath. "Because I'm in love with you too!"  
  
Joanie and Fonzie sat on the couch, both relieved and overjoyed.but at the same time sensing that there was still tension. Fonzie wanted to kiss her, but he wasn't sure that would be a good idea. Especially because of what he was about to say next. "Joanie. I don't think." He didn't even want to finish the sentence.  
  
Joanie's excitement faded. "I know. We can't."  
  
"It's not that I don't want to. But you said yourself, your parents wouldn't approve. And they're the only family I got. I don't know what I would do if they didn't want me around anymore."  
  
A spark came back into Joanie's eyes. "But maybe they would approve. My parents adore you!"  
  
"Joanie, trust me. They'd have a problem with it. Just the age thing alone. But it's not only that. I can't do that to my cousin Chachi." Joanie opened her mouth to object, but Fonzie gently placed his finger to it. "I know that's the last thing you want to hear, but I know he's head over heels in love with you. And I can't be the one to take you away from him. I couldn't live with myself."  
  
Joanie looked down at her lap again. "I know you're right."  
  
"I know you know. Sweetheart, sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to. Life isn't fair. Believe me, life's not fair. But you need to move on. You've got a wonderful life ahead of you. And I will always be here for you, no matter what."  
  
Joanie looked up at him and smiled. "I know you will be."  
  
They both stood up, and Fonzie took Joanie's hand in his. "Do you want your book back?"  
  
Joanie paused and thought about that for a second. "No. You keep it. Our secret."  
  
They looked into each other's eyes, and Fonzie took her chin in his hand again. But this time, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Joanie reciprocated, and they reluctantly broke apart before they got too carried away. Still mere inches away from her face, Fonzie whispered gently. "You're really something else, you know that?"  
  
Joanie smiled. "So are you." They kissed again, and Joanie left.  
  
Fonz stood there with the door open, watching her walk down the hall. "Well," he said to himself as he closed the door. "There goes the love of my life. And it wasn't Ashley." 


	2. Chapter 1: The Phone Call

Death In The Family  
  
Chapter One  
  
The wind whistled through the trees on North Clinton Drive, giving an eerie feel to the early evening festivities taking place in Milwaukee, the Cunningham home specifically. The upper-middle class home was filled with family and friends that night, celebrating the ninth birthday of Danny Fonzarelli, the recently adopted son of Arthur Fonzarelli, who was much like an adopted son himself of the Cunninghams. Mr. And Mrs. Cunningham sat at the piano, playing show tunes that Danny only vaguely recognized, but appreciated nonetheless. Joanie Arcola, the newly married daughter of the Cunninghams, sat on her husband Chachi's lap, clapping along to the music and singing enthusiastically. Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli, sat next to Danny on the sofa, proud as a father could possibly be. Roger, Jenny, Potsie, and Arnold - family friends - gathered close by. The evening could not have been any happier. Then the phone rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" Marion Cunningham jumped up from the piano. "Keep playing, Howard!" The middle-aged auburn-haired woman ran to the phone, nearly tripping on one of Danny's new toy trucks. She answered the phone. "Hello? Oh, hello Richard! What? What's wrong dear? Wait.Howard, could you stop playing for a minute dear, Richard's on the phone!"  
  
Over the singing and commotion, Marion's request went unheard. "I can't hear you very well, dear.Richard, you sound like you're crying. What?" Marion gasped and put her hand to her chest when she realized what her son was trying to tell her. She screamed, "HOWARD!!"  
  
The music abruptly stopped and Howard Cunningham ran to join his wife by the phone. "What is it Marion? What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh dear." She began to cry and handed Howard the phone. Joanie and Fonzie raced to Marion's side while the others looked on, alarmed.  
  
"Mom, what is it?" Joanie asked, near tears. She knew whatever it was, it had to be pretty bad, as she'd rarely seen her mother cry.  
  
But Marion couldn't speak, all she could do was sob quietly. The gang turned to Mr. C for the answer. Looking ashen, Howard lowered the receiver from his ear and turned to face his family. "It's Lori Beth," Howard said. "She was in a car accident. She's." Howard put his free hand to his forehead, not wanting to say the words. "She's dead."  
  
The silence broke like a tidal wave as Joanie let out a cry and then covered her mouth. Chachi held his wife, as he tried to fight the tears that were streaming down his face. Mrs. C continued to cry while Roger held her close. Potsie sunk to the couch and put his head down in his hands. Mr. C continued to talk quietly to his son on the phone, trying to calm him down. Fonzie stood speechless, not wanting to believe what he had just heard. Danny stood up from the couch, and joined the group huddled around the phone, taking Fonzie's hand. "Dad." he whispered. "What's going on?"  
  
Fonzie could barely speak. "No." he choked out. He gently pulled his hand from Danny's grasp. "Not Lori Beth." He paced to the door, wanting to hit something. Wanting to take out his anger on someone or something, to place blame somewhere for the death of his best friend's wife. He decided to take it out on the doorframe, punching it hard, but he immediately regretted it when he heard Danny start to cry. He turned back just in time to see Joanie part from Chachi's embrace to kneel down and take Danny in her arms. I've got to watch my temper now, he reprimanded himself. He quickly returned to the group and knelt with Joanie and Danny. "C'mere. I'm sorry." He hugged Danny. Joanie put her arms around Fonzie, and he finally broke down and wept.  
  
* *  
*  
  
The next afternoon, emotions were still running high at the Cunningham home. Joanie, Chachi, Fonzie and Danny had all spent the night.Joanie and Fonzie because they felt the need to, and Chachi and Danny because they didn't really have a choice. Howard and Marion sat at the kitchen table, drinking cocoa.  
  
"Oh. Howard, I can't believe they're going to put her body on an airplane," Marion was still very upset, and it showed in her voice.  
  
"Richard thought it would be best. Her family is all here in Wisconsin, there's no point in having the funeral in California." Howard said. As usual, he was doing his best to be the strong family patriarch.  
  
"I know but it just seems so.I don't know. Disrespectful." Marion started to get choked up. "She not luggage, Howard."  
  
Howard didn't know how to respond, so they both just sat in silence, watching through the open partition into the living room, where Chachi was playing Monopoly with Danny.  
  
Finally, Marion broke the silence. "How are we going to do this Howard? In less than an hour Richie is coming home with two little children. Actually, one little child and a baby. Can we do this again? Can we raise two more children? At our age?"  
  
Howard sighed. "I don't see where we have a choice. We always told Richie that if he ever needed our help, we'd be here for him. I can't imagine what I ever would've done if I lost you when the children were small. He needs us more now that he ever has in his whole life. And so do his children. I imagine we'll do exactly what we need to do right now."  
  
Marion stood and moved around the table to embrace her husband. "Oh, Howard, I love you so much."  
  
"I love you too Marion. Maybe I don't say it enough.oh Marion, I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you." Howard held his wife tightly, wishing with all his might that he would never have to let her go.  
  
* *  
*  
  
Upstairs, Joanie sat on her bedroom floor, sorting through old photographs and papers, under the guise of straightening what remained of her possessions since she'd moved out. The reality was, she was looking for anything that would remind her of her sister-in-law. Sadly enough, Joanie wasn't very successful. The truth was, Joanie and Lori Beth were never really that close. With the exception of a couple of photos taken while she was holding little Richie, there really weren't very many photos of Lori Beth. Joanie dug through her scrapbooks and memory boxes, finding everything from birthday cards from her parents to notes underhandedly scrawled during class from Jenny. There were dried flowers given to her by Chachi.letters from Richie, even a "Get Well" card from Fonzie when she had her appendix removed when she was fourteen. But there was nothing of Lori Beth. Not a single note.nothing.  
  
Joanie sat amid the mess, feeling defeated. "How could I have been so self absorbed?" she asked herself out loud. "She was a part of my family.and I barely knew her."  
  
There was a light tap on Joanie's door. She quickly started to gather the scattered cards and papers up off the floor. "Come in!"  
  
Fonzie opened the door, taken aback by the clutter strewn around Joanie. "Hey, what happened? It looks like you set off a bomb in a greeting card factory." He carefully stepped over the mess and sat down on Joanie's bed.  
  
She laughed half-heartedly. "I was just sorting through some old memories."  
  
"I can see that." Fonzie glanced down at the pile. He knew Joanie, and he had a feeling why she was up here. "Did you find what you were looking for?"  
  
Joanie looked up at Fonz, then back down at the cards and pictures. She shook her head. "She lived in my house, Fonz. She was married to my brother. And I don't have a single thing here that is HER." She let out a regretful laugh. "I've even got Ralph and Potsie's old business cards. But I can't find a single birthday card from her." Joanie's lower lip began to tremble, the threat of tears eminent. "There's no proof in any of these boxes that I ever even HAD a sister-in-law."  
  
"Hey. Get up here." Fonzie held out his hand and Joanie took it, pulling herself up off the floor and sitting next to him. "Of course you have proof. It's all right here." Fonzie placed his hand on his heart. "And every time you look at Richie Jr. and Elizabeth, you'll see it. It'll always be there."  
  
Joanie sighed. "I know. I just wish.I wish I had something tangible. Something I could look at, something I could hold in my hands to remind me."  
  
Fonz nodded. "I know."  
  
"Everything is so fleeting, Fonz. Life, I mean. One minute everything is fine, and the next.the unthinkable happens. It could have been any of us in that car. I know it's terrible to think this way, especially under the circumstances, but I can't help but think.what if it had been Richie in that car? What if we had lost HIM instead of." Joanie stopped. "That's such a terrible, selfish thought. I haven't told anyone that, not even Chachi."  
  
"It's not selfish Joanie. You love your brother, that's not selfish. Besides, I was thinking the same thing. It's not wrong to be scared that - "  
  
" - that the grief we're feeling now could've been a thousand times worse if it had been Richie." Joanie finished Fonzie's sentence.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
The two were silent, out of things to say but reluctant to end the conversation. The stress of the past day and a half had taken its toll, leaving everyone emotionally drained. Joanie and Fonzie sat side by side on the bed, each engrossed in their own separate thoughts. Both felt a huge sense of loss, but both were each also struggling with the knowledge that they never really got to know Lori Beth. Not as well as they knew their other friends, or even each other. Not as well as they could have.  
  
Both were shaken out of their respective reveries by the sound of the doorbell downstairs. "Richie," Joanie said, and they both headed downstairs.  
  
Joanie and Fonzie got to the bottom of the stairs in time to see Howard open the front door. Richie was standing there, looking more weary and run down than anyone could ever remember seeing him. He had both kids with him. Richie Jr., four years old, was still confused as to the events of the past few days, and looked disoriented and sleepy. Elizabeth, who was only six months old, slept peacefully on her father's shoulder, blissfully unaware of the tragedy that had recently fallen upon her family. Marion took the sleeping baby from her son's arms, just as he broke down and collapsed into his own father's arms.  
  
"Dad," Richie sobbed into Howard's shoulder, while the rest of the family silently looked on, some yet again near tears. "Why did this happen?"  
  
"I don't know, son." Howard replied. "I don't know." 


	3. Chapter 2: Life Is Short

Chapter 2  
  
As day segued into evening, the high emotions and teary conversations in the Cunningham household dissolved, giving way to a weak and weary sense of numbness, especially for Richie. After he put his children to bed in Joanie's old bedroom, Richie retired to his childhood bedroom to relax.and remember. So many thoughts flowed through his head, the pennants on the wall bringing him back to his high school days, when the innocence of childhood never prepared him for the nightmare he was now up against. Then he remembered college, and meeting Lori Beth. Was it all worth it? Richie struggled with the idea. If he had never met her, never married her, he wouldn't be living through this pain right now. And what if it had been him in that car, not Lori Beth? His children would still have their mother. Tears started to fall down Richie's face, and onto his pillow. There was a knock at the door.  
  
Richie sat up and wiped his face. "Come in!"  
  
Fonzie entered the room, a refreshing smile on his face. "Hey you just missed it, Whitey dared Beaver to climb up a billboard! Remember when Ralph dared Potsie to do that? We had to call the fire department to get him down."  
  
Richie gave a half hearted laugh. "Yeah. Those guys were really something."  
  
Fonz crossed the room and rested on the bed in a half sitting, half lying position. "How're you feeling?"  
  
Richie took the chair from his desk and spun it around so he was facing Fonz. He slumped forward and rested his face in his hands, sighing. "I don't know, Fonz. My whole life, I always thought that no matter what happened.no matter what kind of curve ball life threw me, I'd be able to handle it. I'd just pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on." Richie abruptly stood up and paced across the room. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can raise my kids alone. Lori Beth did most of that. I just went to work.and when I wasn't working, I wrote. What do I know about being a mom?"  
  
"First off, Red, you're not alone. You got your parents, you got your sister. hey you even got me. I may be new to this whole dad thing, and I know that it ain't always easy, but look at who you've got around you. You've got enough helpers to start your own nursery school."  
  
Richie continued to walk the floor, flushed. "I can't depend on everyone one else to help me. I'm not a kid anymore! I'm a grown man and I have a responsibility to my children."  
  
"That's right, you do." Fonzie stood up and faced Richie. "You're not shirking your responsibility, Richie. Coming home was probably the most responsible thing you could've done. You can't raise two kids alone. That's why you came home, cuz deep down inside you know that. You're doing a great service to your children by letting your family help you."  
  
Richie was silent, and sat down on the end of his bed. Quietly, he thought out loud. "Why wasn't it me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"In the car. Why did Lori Beth have to die? She was such a wonderful mother. She was so beautiful. No one could ask for a better wife. Why did God take her away from me? From us? Why didn't He take me instead?"  
  
Fonzie sat down next to Richie and put his arm around him. "No one can answer that, Red. God works in mysterious ways. I'll tell ya something, though. He had a reason.whatever it was, He had a reason."  
  
Both men sat silently on the bed, at a loss for further words. They were disturbed by the sound of a baby crying. They glanced at each other, then stood and walked down the hall to Joanie's old room.  
  
Little Elizabeth had pulled herself to a sitting position in the old crib that was brought up from the basement when Lori Beth and Little Richie had lived with the Cunningham's some three years earlier. Surprisingly, her wails hadn't woken her brother, who slept undisturbed on the bed. Richie reached into the crib and picked up his daughter, bouncing her slightly to try to bring a smile to the little dimpled face. It worked, and in fact even aroused a giggle or two.  
  
"Is she hungry?" Fonzie asked, peering somewhat incredulously at the little girl. Even though he'd spent time with Richie Jr. when he was small, the Fonz was still quite the novice when it came to babies. Especially Lizzie, because she was A.) a girl, and B.) not used to the Fonz, nor he to her. So he preferred to keep his distance for the time being.  
  
"No, she's just scared, being in a new place and all. But she may need a changing. Here." And with that, Richie plunked his daughter into Fonzie's arms and turned in search of the diaper bag. "Ah.there it is," he said.  
  
As Richie sorted through the bag, Fonzie stood holding the baby at arm's length, a look of sheer fright in his eyes. "Uh.Red."  
  
"Yeah Fonz?"  
  
"This ain't cool. She don't know me." Fonzie eyed Lizzie suspiciously. Lizzie eyed Fonzie right back.  
  
"You'll be fine," Richie assured the Fonz as he continued to rifle through the diaper bag. "Just talk to her."  
  
Fonzie looked at Richie incredulously, then looked at Lizzie again. "Yeah," he said more to himself than to anyone else, "I can do that." He cleared his throat, then began. "Heyyyyyyyyy, Elizabeth!"  
  
Lizzie's formerly mild look gradually started to crinkle.  
  
"Coochie coochie coo!!!!!!!!!"  
  
There was a moment of silence, than an explosive shriek. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
  
"RED!" Fonzie ran over to Richie, still holding the baby at arm's length. "Here, take her, I think I broke her!"  
  
"Fonz." Richie stood and shifted the spare diaper, safety pins and powder under his arm so he could take his daughter. "You didn't break her. She can sense that you're nervous around her." Richie laid her down on the dressing table and changed her diaper. When he was done he turned to Fonz, who had been hiding in the doorway. "Now come here, Fonzie. Hold out your arms."  
  
Reluctantly Fonz complied, and took Elizabeth. Richie reminded him how to hold the baby so she would be comfortable. Lizzie settled into Fonzie's arms and smiled. "I can dig it. I can dig it." Fonzie grinned.  
  
"Good, now just talk to her."  
  
"What do I say?"  
  
"Well, it doesn't really matter what you say, as long as she senses that you are comfortable with her. Why didn't you have any of these problems with little Rich?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess because he wasn't a chick." Fonzie laughed. "I could relate to him better."  
  
"Fonzie, you have no problem relating to chicks. Just talk to her like you'd talk to any other girl."  
  
Fonzie looked at Richie. "Are you delirious?"  
  
"No, no, you know what I mean. Talk to her.talk to her like you used to talk to Heather."  
  
"Oh yeah." Fonzie smiled when he remembered Heather, the daughter of his most serious girlfriend, Ashley. Fonz had been heartbroken when Ashley left to get back together with her ex-husband. But it was the best thing for all of them, he supposed. In fact, it was right around that time when he found out that Joanie was secretly in love with him. Joanie Arcola, Fonz reminded himself, my cousin's wife. Before the familiar feeling of longing had a chance to wash over him, Fonzie commanded the memory right out of his head. Instead, he looked down at Lizzie. She was looking right back up at him with huge blue eyes. Before he could catch himself, Fonzie blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Hey, you know what? She's got eyes just like Joanie's."  
  
Richie looked at Fonz strangely for a second, and then peered at his daughter's face. "Yeah.I suppose so. I never really noticed before."  
  
"Oh." Fonz suddenly tried to backpedal. "It's just, they're.well.blue. Like hers. Joanie's. You know."  
  
"Mine are blue too, Fonz."  
  
"I knew that." Fonzie looked down at the baby, eager to change the subject. "Hey look, she's sleeping."  
  
"Well how about that." Richie took Elizabeth from Fonzie's arms and put her back in the crib. They stood silently watching her for a few moments, until Richie turned to Fonzie. "You hungry?"  
  
"Sure, whaddya got?" The two friends turned and left the room to head downstairs to Marion's well-stocked kitchen. The Fonz stopped as Richie started down the stairs, and crept back up the hallway. He poked his head into the room where the sleeping children lay. As if on cue, Lizzie opened her eyes and saw Fonzie. He held out a fist, and slowly raised his thumb to a salute. Lizzie closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.  
  
The married Arcolas' new apartment wasn't much, but it certainly provided privacy for the couple, something that Chachi cherished. Although they had been married for several months, the novelty of being alone with his wife hadn't yet worn off for Chachi. No parents telling them what they could or could not do.no rules to follow. It was a small place, all they could afford on a teacher's salary while Chachi continued to work on his music. But it was home.  
  
It had taken a lot of effort to convince Joanie to come back home with him, something that really bothered Chachi. Although Chachi felt horrible about his sister-in-law's death, he didn't feel that it was Joanie's responsibility to stay at the Cunningham's and help out with her niece and nephew. Mr. And Mrs. C could manage that just fine. Besides, Chachi had big news for Joanie, and he wanted to tell her while they were alone.  
  
Joanie was making dinner in the partitioned kitchen, daydreaming. Chachi watched her from the couch. He knew what she was thinking about, or at least he thought he did, by the pained look on her face. Ever since Lori Beth's accident, Chachi noticed a huge change in Joanie.not just the expected sadness that comes with losing a family member, but more of a distancing from him.and even herself, it seemed. She didn't talk much, and when she did, it was always about how short life is, and how we need to live each day like it was our last. Chachi shuffled through some sheet music, wondering if now was the right time to tell her about his big news. He took a breath and walked into the kitchen.  
  
Chachi took in the smell of spaghetti sauce, and smiled. "That smells great, honey."  
  
Joanie, who was standing at the stove stirring the sauce, was jolted to life. "What? Oh, thanks. See, I told you I'd learn how to cook eventually."  
  
Yes but eventually you need to learn to cook something besides spaghetti. Chachi decided not to say that out loud. "Joanie. I have a surprise for you."  
  
Joanie continued to stir the sauce. "Oh really? What is it?"  
  
Chachi felt a little deflated. Normally, Joanie goes nuts over surprises. Now, she barely seemed to care. He began anyway. "Remember last month when that agent came to Arnolds and heard me sing?"  
  
Joanie thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, that guy.Drake Hollyday?"  
  
Chachi smiled. "Right! Anyway, he called me last week.he wants to sign me!"  
  
"Oh Chach.that's great! But why did you wait a whole week to tell me?"  
  
"Well, I was going to tell you a few days ago over a special dinner, but." Chachi glossed over the mention of the past week's events. "Anyway, there's more."  
  
Joanie turned off the boiling water, which held the pasta, and reached for a strainer. "Oh really? What?"  
  
Chachi braced himself for what he hoped would be a shriek of excitement from his wife. "We're going on tour!"  
  
Joanie froze, right as she was about to pour the pasta into the sink. "What?"  
  
"Tour," Chachi was confused by the look of utter shock on Joanie's face. "We're going on tour. Next week."  
  
Joanie dropped the pan into the sink, splashing water everywhere. "Where exactly is this tour?"  
  
"Joanie!" Chachi narrowly avoided getting soaked. "What's the matter with you? Our first gig is in California, then after that we tour the whole country! Isn't that great?"  
  
"Great?! When were you planning on telling me this? I can't go to California.or anywhere else for that matter!"  
  
"What do you mean you can't go?" Chachi was starting to raise his voice now to match Joanie's. "This is my dream, Joanie, it's what I've been waiting for!"  
  
"Your dream, what YOU'VE been waiting for.you know Chachi, there are other people in this world too. My brother needs me right now. I can't just up and leave!" Joanie tore off her apron and stalked out of the kitchen.  
  
"Are you serious?" Chachi followed Joanie into the living room, where they faced off. "Richie doesn't need your help, he's got your parents to help him. You can't go putting your life on hold just because of what happened to Lori Beth!"  
  
"Oh but I can put my life on hold to go jetting off with you to California!" It was apparent now that many more things were bothering Joanie than she had ever let on.  
  
"Wait a minute.is this even about Richie, or are you just making up excuses because you don't want to go with me?"  
  
"I don't want to leave my family! I can't.and I won't!" and with that, Joanie grabbed her jacket and ran out the door. 


	4. Chapter 3: Something To Remind Me

Chapter Three  
  
Richie and Fonzie sat at the kitchen table amid a flurry of bread wrappers and sandwich fixings, finishing up the last of their late supper. The radio played quietly in the background.an old Elvis song.and it put the guys at ease. For the moment, memories of happier days filled their heads.  
  
"It sure was nice of Mom and Dad to bring Danny to the movies," Richie remarked as he began putting the cold cuts and mayonnaise in the refrigerator. "Do you know which film they were going to see?"  
  
"Yeah.Doctor Doolittle I think. The one where the guy goes nutso and starts talking to animals." Fonzie swept his crumbs into a neat little pile and disposed them into the wastebasket.  
  
"But Fonz.you used to talk to Spunky. Does that make you nutso?"  
  
"Of course not. Spunky was cool. He used to talk to me."  
  
"Really? Well then how come I could never hear him?" Richie sat back down at the table.  
  
"Because, Red, it takes cool to understand cool."  
  
At that moment, the kitchen door flew open, and a tear stained Joanie burst through the door. "Where's Mom?" she sobbed, blowing right past the guys and straight into the living room.  
  
"Joanie?" Richie ran after his sister, with Fonzie following. "Mom and Dad took Danny to the movies. What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh great!" Joanie sat down on the couch and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Joanie," Richie sat next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "What happened? Did you and Chachi have a fight?"  
  
"Yeah.kind of. I.I don't really want to talk about it." Normally talking things out with her brother made Joanie feel better, but in this particular case, she didn't think it would do any good. She knew exactly what her brother's advice would be. Don't worry about me. Go be with your husband. But the problem was, Joanie wasn't sure if wanting to stay behind to help her family was the real reason she didn't want to go with Chachi.  
  
"Oh, well.okay." Richie loosened his grip on Joanie's shoulder, visibly dejected. "You can talk to Mom, then, when they get home."  
  
"Daddy?" A little voice startled the trio in the living room, and they all turned back towards the stairs. Richie Jr. stood at the bottom of the steps, clutching a yellow blanket. "I had a bad dream." He had tears in his eyes.  
  
Richie jumped up from the couch, and ran to scoop up his son. "That's ok, buddy. Why don't we read a story?" They went upstairs.  
  
Joanie sat silently on the couch, keenly aware of Fonzie's presence barely a foot and a half away from her. She knew it was inevitable. Fonzie could drag information out of anyone. So she waited silently for him to begin his probe. She didn't have to wait very long.  
  
"Want to tell me what's going on, Shortcake?" Fonzie didn't even look at Joanie, he just hiked his boots up on the coffee table and continued to look straight ahead.  
  
Joanie didn't speak for a moment, then gave in. "Chachi's going on tour."  
  
"That's great!" Fonzie smiled. "So why are you crying?"  
  
"He wants me to go with him."  
  
"Well, that's not exactly unheard of. After all, you are married."  
  
Joanie sighed. "Fonz, I can't leave my family right now. Richie needs me."  
  
" Joanie." Fonz began, and by his tone it was obvious what was coming next. Joanie beat him to the punch.  
  
"I know what you're going to say. Richie doesn't need me. He has Mom and Dad. And you. I just wouldn't feel right going halfway across the country right now after everything that's happened. I would feel like I'm deserting my family when they need me the most."  
  
"You know, Joanie, when the priest said for better or for worse, he wasn't just whistling Dixie," Fonzie said.  
  
Joanie narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What?"  
  
"The whole idea of marriage is to stick together.in good times and in bad. That doesn't just mean the good and bad times in your relationship. It means the good and bad involving the people around you. Do you think Lori Beth would be happy knowing that this is causing a rift between you and Chachi?"  
  
Joanie stood and walked over to the fireplace. "But it's got nothing to do with that, Fonz!"  
  
Now it was Fonzie's turn to look confused. "Didn't you just say."  
  
"I don't know. That's the thing, I just don't know." Joanie walked back around the coffee table and sat down in her father's armchair.  
  
"You're not making any sense, Joanie."  
  
"I know I'm not. I'm so confused, Fonz. I've just been thinking so much lately.about how short life is, you know? And I think I've come to a conclusion."  
  
"Oh yeah? What's that?"  
  
Joanie took a deep breath. "I don't think I should've married Chachi."  
  
Fonzie just sat on the couch, at a loss for words. Conflicting emotions flew around his brain like cars in a demolition derby. He knew he should tell her that she was being ridiculous, that of course marrying Chachi wasn't a mistake. But instead he just sat there, mouth agape.  
  
Just then the front door opened, and Danny bounced through, still carrying a half eaten bag of popcorn. Howard and Marion followed behind him.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want some of my popcorn, Mr. C?" Danny offered the bag, but Marion snatched it out of her husband's grasp.  
"Howard, don't you dare. You already ate dinner. What happened to your diet? If you're hungry I'll fix you some nice celery sticks." Marion took off her long coat. She noticed her daughter and smiled. "Joanie, dear, what are you doing here? Where's Chachi?"  
  
Joanie, who was already on the edge of tears again, lost her composure at the mention of Chachi's name. She abruptly stood, hand over her mouth, and ran upstairs.  
  
"What was that all about? Fonzie, what happened?" Howard asked.  
  
"Just a little discord in the otherwise harmonious marriage of Joanie and Chachi." Fonzie swallowed. Hard. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh, dear. I'd better go talk to her." Marion went up stairs, and Howard, seeing a clear shot at the popcorn, plopped his hand into Danny's bag. Before he could even get the handful to his mouth, Marion shouted down from the second floor. "Howard, you stay out of that popcorn!"  
  
Howard sighed, and released his handful of popcorn, causing Danny to giggle.  
  
Later that night, after Danny was tucked into bed, Fonzie stayed up, sorting through some boxes. It had only been a few months since he'd moved out of his apartment at Kahuna Village, and most of his belongings were still packed away. The small house, only blocks away from the Cunninghams', was perfect to raise his son in, with a spacious yard and a playground just down the hill. Fonzie was actually considering getting a dog for Danny soon. Little Richie had always wanted a dog.maybe they could share it. That was one bright side to this nightmare.at least Fonz had his best friend back. Even though Danny and Richie Jr. were four and a half years apart in age, Fonzie hoped they would be friends eventually.  
  
Fonzie found a box marked "Salvation Army" in handwriting that wasn't his own. It took him a moment to remember where the box had come from. It was filled with books that had belonged to Richie and Joanie many years earlier. Suddenly, something Joanie said earlier flashed through his mind. I wish I had something tangible. Something I could look at, something I could hold in my hands to remind me. Fonzie picked up the familiar blue book with the gold printing on the cover. He settled down on the couch to read. There has to be something in here about Lori Beth, he thought to himself.  
  
Joanie lay on her parents' couch, the flickering glow of the television lighting the otherwise dark room. Chachi hadn't come looking for her in the five hours since she'd stormed out of their apartment, a fact that both surprised and disappointed her. She'd talked briefly to her mother about the situation, glossing over specifics for fear of getting the same lecture as she'd gotten from Fonzie.the same lecture that deep down, she knew she deserved. But the truth was, the more she thought about it, the more she believed that marrying Chachi Arcola had been a huge mistake. He hadn't done anything wrong. There was no reason for her to be feeling this way. It just WAS. And she couldn't shake it.  
  
Joanie stared at the television, not watching anything on the screen. Just a little over a week ago, everything was fine. Joanie had no complaints. She was a teacher at Patton High.she had a loving family, and a great husband. And then Lori Beth died. Suddenly, Joanie was reevaluating her entire life. The fact remained that Joanie had had a crush on Arthur Fonzarelli since she was fifteen, but tried to suppress it because she knew her parents would never approve. That, and she thought Fonzie didn't feel the same. But last year, when Fonzie accidentally read her diary and discovered her true feelings for him, he admitted that he too harbored feelings that were less than platonic. But once again, their relationship was never realized because of how her parents may react. So she went on with her life, and married Chachi.  
  
"How could I be so unfair to Chachi?" Joanie asked herself. "How could I marry someone I wasn't truly in love with?" Amid thoughts of how short life really was, it occurred to Joanie that denying her feelings for Fonzie was keeping her from being happy. Isn't that what life is really about? Joanie wondered. That aside, though, the first thing she needed to do was discuss things with Chachi. That was, if he hadn't left on tour already. 


	5. Chapter 4: Lies and Goodbyes

Chapter 4  
  
The following morning, Chachi's bags were packed, but he couldn't bring himself to leave for the airport. The fight he had with Joanie the night before about her not wanting to go on tour with him was echoing through his head. He had wanted to go after her when she stormed out of their apartment, but decided against it in favor of giving her time to cool off. He also hoped that her family would bring her to her senses, and make her realize that her place was with her husband. Even if that place was California.  
  
Chachi sat down on the couch and looked at his watch, sighing. This territory was all too familiar to him. Last year he gave up a promising singing career in Chicago to move back home and be with Joanie. And now, unless she changed her mind within the next few hours, it seemed as if Chachi would be forced to choose between his wife and his music, again. Only the stakes were higher now. This time they were married.and this time there was a national tour involved.  
  
"Why does she keep doing this to me?" Chachi asked himself aloud. "Why does she always want to make me choose?" Finally the pressure got to be too much, and Chachi headed for the door. "I'll talk to Fonzie."  
  
"Dad? Can I ask you a question?"  
  
Danny and Fonzie sat at the breakfast table, Danny with a bowl of Cheerio's and Fonzie with a cup of coffee and the funny pages. It was the kind of lazy Sunday morning that Fonzie had always dreamed of as a child, but never got to experience until now. His parents had abandoned him at a young age, and even though he had lived with his grandmother for a while, he was pretty much always on his own, and pretty much always working. But now, finally, he had something to stay home on the weekends for. Aside from Chachi and Aunt Louisa, and of course the Cunninghams', Danny was Fonzie's first real family. Sometimes, occasionally, Fonzie would have to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The only way that his life could become more perfect would be if he could find a special woman to share it with. But she'd have to be pretty special, Fonzie asserted. Danny would have to like her too, because Danny came first now.  
  
"Of course. What's up?"  
  
"Well.I know everyone's been upset lately and all, but I was wondering, well." Danny seemed apprehensive about whatever it was he wanted to say.  
  
"What is it, Danny?" Fonz asked.  
  
"I only got to meet Lori Beth once, at Joanie and Chachi's wedding. She was really nice to me. And I was just wondering if you would tell me more about her. I mean, everyone seems so sad, and I'm sad too, but I think I'd be sadder if I knew more about her, you know?"  
  
"Let me get this straight." Fonzie began. "You want to be sadder?"  
  
"I just want to be able to understand. The Cunninghams are like my family now, sort of. I just want to feel like I belong." Danny had a look of longing on his face that touched Fonzie.  
  
"You belong, Danny. Mr. And Mrs. C love you like you were their own grandson. But if you want to know about Lori Beth, that's cool. What do you want to know?"  
  
Danny thought for a moment. "How long did you know her?"  
  
"Well, I met her when she started going out with Richie, back when they were in college. That was about.seven years ago I guess."  
  
"Was she always nice?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Richie couldn't have found himself a better girl if he'd tried. Lori Beth was the cream of the crop." Fonzie smiled.  
  
"Was she a good mom?"  
  
"She was a great mom." Fonzie paused. "Danny.why do you ask?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess I just was wondering what it's like to have a mom, you know? I don't remember my real mom." Danny paused, a look of concern appearing on his face. "Don't get me wrong, Dad, I love being your son. I wouldn't trade you for any other family in the world. I've got Mrs. C and Joanie.so really that's almost like having two moms, sort of."  
  
Fonzie could tell, despite Danny's quick attempt to diffuse his sadness, that the issue of wanting a mother to call his own was not one that would go away. He knew that Danny loved him.he needed no reaffirmation of that fact. But something would always be missing in the boy's life until Fonzie could find him a mom.  
  
"You'll have a mom someday, Danny." Fonzie assured him. But deep down, Fonzie was afraid he would never find a woman that was good enough.for him or Danny.  
  
The kitchen door flew open, and Chachi burst in like a man on a mission. He came to a halt by the table and bounced from foot to foot, wringing his hands. "I need your advice, Fonz."  
  
Fonzie and Danny just looked up at him. "Well good morning to you too, cousin," Fonzie took a sip of coffee. "Would you like a Poptart?"  
  
"I don't have time for Poptarts! My life is hanging in the balance!" Chachi finally acknowledged Danny's presence and nodded. "Hey, Danny. Fonz, can we talk in the living room?"  
  
Fonzie stood and looked at Danny. "You and I will finish our conversation later, ok?"  
  
"Ok, Dad." Danny smiled and turned his attention back to his cereal.  
  
Fonzie and Chachi walked into the living room. "I take it this has something to do with the fact that Joanie spent last night at the Cunninghams'?" Fonz took to busying himself around the room, straightening here and there, in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Chachi. Even though he knew he had nothing to feel guilty about, he still felt awkward about the secret he and Joanie had kept from Chachi. Fonz knew that if Chachi ever found out that Joanie had been in love with him.even started dating Chachi because he reminded her of him.it would destroy him.  
  
"Why does she keep doing this to me, Fonz? I've done nothing but try to make Joanie happy, and she keeps driving me crazy! First I have to move back here from Chicago, and now she's making me choose between her and going on tour! It's as if she doesn't want me to be successful!"  
  
"Calm down, Chachi. You have to look at this from her side, too. Her family is going through a very stressful time right now."  
  
Chachi threw his hands up in the air and grunted. "I am so sick of hearing about that! Yes, Lori Beth died. Yes, it's sad. But it's time for Joanie to move on!"  
  
Fonzie looked at Chachi with near disgust. "How could you be so thoughtless? This isn't like you."  
  
"I'm sorry. But I'm tired of putting my life on hold."  
  
"You're being selfish."  
  
Chachi started to respond, but the phone rang. "Don't move," Fonz commanded, and went back to the kitchen to answer the phone.  
  
Chachi sighed and fell hopelessly to the couch, wearily rubbing his eyes and face. I don't know how much longer I can take this, he said to himself. If she loved me she'd.Chachi paused mid-thought when he noticed a blue book on the coffee table, with the word Diary embossed on the cover. He laughed and picked up the book. "Fonzie keeps a diary?" He quickly looked toward the kitchen door to make sure Fonz was still on the phone, before he cracked open the book to sneak a peak.  
  
.Chachi and I broke up again last night. Why do I even keep giving him so many chances when I just know he's going to do nothing but break my heart? And I had that dream again, the one where I marry Fonzie. Oh.I wish so much that there was some way I could make that dream come true! But I'm sure he thinks I'm a kid. And my parents would never go for it. I just love him so much though. I know he would never act as childish as Chachi.  
  
Fonzie came strolling out of the kitchen, a smile on his face. "Potsie needed directions to Chicago - again."  
  
Chachi looked up from his reading, a look of utter hatred on his face. He held up the diary. "What is this doing here?"  
  
Fonzie stopped in his tracks. He had forgotten that he'd left the diary in plain sight last night.  
  
Chachi shot up like a rocket. "How could I have been so stupid? Joanie is in love with you! And what's worse.you knew about it the whole time! No wonder you kept taking her side. You probably want me to leave so you can have her all to yourself!"  
  
"Now wait just a minute, Chachi."  
  
"No! I've played the fool for the last time!" Chachi's face softened from anger to hurt. "I can't trust any of you. Not even you, my cousin."  
  
"Chachi, nothing ever happened between me and - "  
  
"Why should I believe that? You've had her diary this whole time.you knew all about this and you never told me. It's not like this was just some childhood crush, Fonz." Chachi opened the diary up to the page he had been reading, and showed Fonz the date. "She wrote this barely two months before we got married!" Chachi flipped through some more pages. "Oh, here's a good one. If Chachi ever knew that the reason I started dating him was because he reminded me of Fonzie, he'd be devastated. Well, it's nice to know she has such a strong consideration for my feelings."  
  
Chachi was beginning to fly out of control now, and Fonz could see it. "Look," he said, "you need to calm down and look at the whole picture."  
  
Chachi stalked off toward the front door, still holding the diary. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you. I'm leaving. For good. But not before I give that." Chachi searched for the right word. ".Jezebel a piece of my mind!"  
  
The door slammed behind Chachi before Fonz could answer.  
  
Joanie sat on the Cunningham's couch, watching television, just as she had all morning. Her parents had left early for Marion's garden club meeting, and as far as she knew, Richie and the kids must have slept in, because she hadn't seen them yet today. It was just as well that she was alone, she supposed, because she wouldn't know what to say anyway. Joanie couldn't help but feel guilty about everything.her feelings for Fonzie, her unfairness toward Chachi. The uncertainty of her own feelings was driving her crazy inside. As she sat curled up in the corner of the couch, she began to cry.  
  
The front door flew open, and Chachi stormed in. Joanie jumped up, wiping her eyes. "Chach," she gasped.  
  
"How could you do this to me?!" he yelled as he paced around the room.  
  
"Do what?" she asked, confused.  
  
Chachi held up the diary. "Does this look familiar?"  
  
Joanie felt her stomach drop. "Oh my God. Where did you get that?"  
  
Chachi became enraged. Up until this point he had clung to the possibility that this was all some kind of misunderstanding. But when he saw Joanie's reaction - the shock and horror on her face - he knew it was no joke. Unable to control himself, he threw the diary at Joanie, barely missing her head.  
  
Richie was awoken suddenly by a thud coming from downstairs. He had only fallen asleep moments before, after spending the entire night awake, thinking about Lori Beth. He hadn't even changed into pajamas. It had only been a week since her death, and though Richie had tried to be strong for his family's sake, he was beginning to think the terrible pain was never going to fade. He was nervous, terrified, and angry, all at the same time. But he couldn't tell them. They wouldn't understand. So he kept it all inside, like a time bomb waiting to explode. Lack of sleep made him agitated, but he swung his legs over the side of the bed anyway, preparing to drag himself downstairs to investigate the noise. When he heard his sister scream, the grogginess disappeared, and Richie bolted out his bedroom door and down the hallway.  
  
"Chachi, I can explain!" Joanie was in tears, obviously frightened by her husband's violent outburst. Chachi was following Joanie around the living room as she backed away from him, with a look of rage in his eyes that she had never seen before. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"  
"Oh really? Well guess what. You did. I can't believe I spent all of these years chasing after you. What an idiot! And to think my own cousin was the one responsible for it!" Chachi picked up the diary off the floor where it had fallen, and continued to stalk Joanie.  
  
"He had nothing to do with it. He didn't even know." Joanie's fear grew with each step until finally the pair came to a stop in front of the couch. "Chachi, I'm sorry. Just calm down, okay?"  
  
"Calm down?!" In a fit of anger, Chachi tore the diary in two and threw the pieces into the unlit fireplace, before throwing Joanie down on the couch by her shoulders. "How am I supposed to calm down when I'm married to a whore?!"  
  
Richie reached the bottom of the stairs just as Chachi looked as if he was going to take a swing at Joanie. He dove around the couch and tackled Chachi, landing on the coffee table and shattering it. The time bomb had gone off, and every bit of rage coursing through Richie's body came flying out. He punched Chachi repeatedly, in the stomach, about the face, until he had no strength left. The world around him had gone dim, and all he saw was Chachi Arcola, the man who called his sister a whore. The man who had almost hit her. He had heard a thud and a scream earlier. Maybe he HAD hit her. With renewed energy, Richie unleashed his anger on Chachi again.  
  
Joanie sat huddled in the corner of the couch, not knowing what to do. She happened to turn around, and immediately wished she hadn't. Horrified, she saw her four-year-old nephew sitting on the stairs, watching the entire scene in shock.  
  
The front door flew open and Fonzie ran in, followed immediately by Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham. Fearing his instinct about Chachi flying off the handle was correct, Fonzie pulled a still-reeling Richie off of his cousin. Richie went willingly, almost limply. Marion ran to the stairs and scooped up the frightened Richie Jr., while Howard stood between the wiped out Richie and the dazed and beaten Chachi.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Howard yelled.  
  
In an effort to protect her brother, Joanie spoke up. "Chachi attacked me. Sort of."  
  
"Sort of?" Howard asked. He grabbed Chachi by his jacket and pulled him to his feet. "If you laid one hand on my daughter, so help me."  
  
"Don't worry, Mr. C.," Chachi muttered, speaking slowly to ensure his jaw was not broken. "I didn't touch your daughter. In fact, if there's anyone you should be worried about touching your daughter.it's him." Chachi motioned to Fonzie.  
  
"What?" Mr. C was obviously confused. "If you didn't hit Joanie." He turned to Richie. "Why would you attack Chachi like that? And in front of your son! What were you thinking?"  
  
"I wasn't. I.I didn't know Richie.he, he called her a." Richie couldn't believe what he had done. Especially in front of his own son, even though he hadn't realized he was there. "I need some air." Richie turned toward the door, and then looked back. "Chach." But he couldn't bring himself to apologize to Chachi. Not after what he had called Joanie. So he just turned away again, and left.  
  
"You," Fonzie sternly said to his cousin. "We need to have a talk. Privately. Now."  
  
"Get away from me," Chachi spat. "You've done enough talking. My cousin. If there was anyone I should've been able to trust, it was you. And you," Chachi turned to Joanie. "I have nothing more to say to you. Except goodbye."  
  
Chachi left the Cunningham house for the last time, leaving its occupants silent and confused. But Joanie's confusion, and even Fonzie's, was made up of mixed emotions. Howard and Marion's confusion was plain and simple, and easily summed up into a few words by Mr. C.  
  
"Will somebody please tell me what is going on here?" 


	6. Chapter 5: Hide and Seek

Chapter Five  
  
"I don't understand Aunt Marion.if Chachi didn't actually hit Joanie, then why did Richie attack him?" Roger Phillips sat at the Cunningham's kitchen table, drinking hot chocolate while his aunt fed her granddaughter a lunch of mashed bananas. He had taken a long lunch break at the request of his aunt, who had sounded quite distressed on the phone. Now, she was only slightly more relaxed.  
  
Mrs. C paused, spoon mere inches away from Elizabeth's face. The poor baby strained to reach the food to no avail. "I don't know. No matter how many times we question Joanie she keeps saying she's not ready to talk about it, and we haven't seen Arthur for days." She sighed emotionally and dropped her head down onto her arm. Elizabeth kept her mouth open, waiting for more banana, while Marion unknowingly held the spoon just far enough to taunt the child.  
  
Roger couldn't watch anymore, and took the spoon away from Marion. "Here.let me feed her." Elizabeth giggled gratefully, and Roger fed her as he continued to ask questions. "Now.I'm confused. What does Fonzie have to do with this?"  
  
"We're not sure. But according to Chachi, Arthur did something to make him not trust him.and so did Joanie, but we don't know what. And Richie.oh.Richie's been gone for three days! This just isn't like him! I just don't know what's going on with my children! Nothing is making sense anymore!" Marion was near tears as she quickly stood and began excitedly folding and unfolding the dishcloth hanging by the sink.  
  
"I know this may come as a shock, but have you considered the possibility that." Roger wasn't sure if he should finish his sentence, but Marion looked so hopeful about the possibility of an explanation that he felt obligated to continue. "Maybe Joanie and Fonzie."  
  
"What?" Marion asked.  
  
"Maybe Joanie and Fonzie were having an affair."  
  
"What? Oh Roger, that's ridiculous!" Marion laughed self-consciously. "No daughter of mine would have an.an."  
  
"Affair?" Roger finished.  
  
"Shhhh!" Marion covered Elizabeth's ears. "Stop saying that in front of the baby!"  
  
"I'm just saying it's a possibility. Why else would Fonzie disappear like this? It's not like him to stay away when you need him most. Isn't he the one usually dealing with these kinds of situations?" Roger wiped mashed banana off of his tie.  
  
Marion sat back down at the table. "But that's just it Roger. Nothing like this has ever happened to us before."  
  
"Well, you know I'm always here to help. Let me know if there's anything I can do." Roger began to stand up. "But right now I've really got to get back to school. The cheerleading squad is out on parole today and I have a feeling they're going to be armed with more than pom poms."  
  
"Wait!" Marion grabbed Roger's arm. "There is something you can do. You can find Richie!"  
  
"Find Richie? Where do you suppose I look? Besides, I have responsibilities." Roger met Marion's sad gaze and realized that his family was more important than any old job. "Well.I do have some time off I could use. They awarded me an extra week after I caught Tommy Baxter slipping Ex- Lax into the teachers' coffee urn." Roger shuddered at the memory. "I'll need someone to come with me. And I still have no idea where I should look."  
  
"Oh Roger!" Marion jumped up and hugged her nephew. "Thank you so much. Oh, I know you'll find him! You've just got to!"  
  
Roger sighed. I hope so.  
  
Under normal circumstances, Howard Cunningham could tolerate Potsie Webber in four-hour increments, which was convenient since his eight-hour workday was divided in half by a lunch break. Howard could usually find an excuse to leave the hardware store during his break, sometimes saying he had to make deliveries, or sometimes just sneaking out the back door while Potsie was waiting on a customer. In any case, these were anything but normal circumstances. Howard tried to maintain his usual self-assured façade, but inside he was reeling with fear about the welfare of his two children. As if the family hadn't been devastated enough when Lori Beth died, now Joanie's marriage was suffering, and to make matters worse, she refused to talk to anyone. Then, or course, there was the fact that Richie never came home from his walk three days earlier. Howard had debated calling the police, but deep down he knew Richie wasn't in any immediate danger, and he was afraid that getting the police involved would do more harm than good. And so Howard went through the motions of another workday, keeping his conversations with Potsie limited, lest he find himself unable to control his own temper. Potsie seemed to understand, and steered clear of Howard as well.  
  
The silence, interrupted only by the occasional customer, didn't ease Howard's mind. If anything, it made the situation worse. And watching Potsie's gingerly attempts to stay out of his way only reminded Howard that this day was not business as usual. Finally, it became too much. When Potsie came back in from taking out the trash, Howard finally spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry, Potsie. I know things are uncomfortable here. In fact, if you want to take off early today, you can." Howard leaned against the counter, letting his forehead wearily rest in his hands.  
  
Potsie slowly replaced the broom that he had just picked up by the back door, and approached the counter. "If that's what you want Mr. C.I can leave if you'd rather be alone," he quietly spoke.  
  
Howard didn't speak right away. He sighed. "I don't know."  
  
"I really don't mind staying. It's not so bad. I'm used to being ignored. In fact, I was almost eleven before my dad even noticed I was there."  
  
Howard raised an eyebrow.  
  
"In fact." Potsie continued. "I think if I were in Richie's shoes, my parents wouldn't even care. I really wish there was something I could do to help you out, Mr. C. I feel awful."  
  
"So do I, Potsie. So do I."  
  
The front door jingled as it opened, and Roger stepped in, carrying a Tupperware container. "Hi Uncle Howard, hi Potsie. Aunt Marion sent along some lunch for you. It's leftover meatloaf."  
  
"Oh.thanks Roger." Howard took the container but didn't open it. "I'm not that hungry right now."  
  
Roger and Potsie exchanged shocked looks, but both knew it was wiser to keep their comments about Howard's lack of appetite to themselves. Instead, Roger excused himself from his uncle, and took Potsie aside. "Potsie, I need to ask for your help."  
  
"Sure, go right ahead," Potsie said.  
  
Roger gave Potsie a double take, then continued on. "Aunt Marion wants me to find Richie, and I have no idea where to begin. You know him about as well as anyone, so I thought maybe you'd have some ideas."  
  
Potsie shook his head matter-of-factly. "Couldn't find Fonzie, huh?"  
  
"Actually, no. No one has seen him for three days. He won't even answer his phone. It's almost as if he's in hiding."  
  
"Why don't you just go to his place? He's got to be there. He couldn't have just taken off, not with Danny in school."  
  
Roger considered that. "Wow, Potsie. You've got a point." Roger could hardly believe it. "But I'm not sure if it's such a good idea to just barge in on Fonzie like that. We've got enough problems to deal with.angering him would just aggravate the situation." He thought for a moment. "Fonzie is obviously hiding something. That's why he hasn't been around. Aunt Marion said that Fonzie had something to do with Joanie and Chachi's breakup. I bet he's having guilt issues."  
  
"I'd be guilty too if I treated my wife the way he treated Joanie! Man, I'd just love to get my hands on Chachi." Potsie rubbed his fist.  
  
"I was talking about Fonzie, not Chachi. Something doesn't add up here, Pots. Fonzie doesn't skip out on his friends when they need him the most.especially not Aunt Marion and Uncle Howard. We've got to get to the bottom of this. Maybe we should go talk to Fonzie."  
"We?" Potsie asked nervously. "Why do I have to go? I'm not exactly Fonzie's favorite person. And when I make him mad, he likes me even less."  
  
"There's strength in numbers. Besides, Richie needs us. I have a feeling that the reason he left wasn't a simple case of mourning. This is all connected somehow. If we can get to the bottom of this, I suspect we'll be able to help Richie and Joanie."  
  
Roger and Potsie pulled up in front of Fonzie's house, scanning the area for signs of life inside. Sure enough, Fonzie's bike and his vintage Mustang, acquired after Danny's adoption, were both parked in the driveway. The duo sat in Roger's car, unsure of their next move. "Well," Roger said, "we know he's here." "Yeah. Or at least, his bike and his car are." Potsie replied. Roger sighed. "I think it's pretty safe to assume that Fonzie didn't get far without them." "Not necessarily," Potsie answered back. "He could've hitched aboard a steamer ship." "But he would've had to drive to the - never mind. He's here. Let's go." Roger made a move to open the car door, but Potsie stopped him. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "I don't know yet. Just follow my lead." "Great! I love games!" Roger paused, rolled his eyes, and got out of the car.  
  
Fonzie watched through the gauzy yellow curtain hanging in his front window as his two friends made their way up the walk. He had half been expecting them for days now, knowing that whatever information circulating throughout the Cunningham family about what had happened would eventually make its way to the outer reaches of the family, namely Roger and Potsie. Fonzie knew he would be a fool to think he could just fade into oblivion.to hide from the very family he'd just helped to destroy, at least in his own eyes. When the doorbell rang, Fonz debated ignoring it, but realized that no matter how long he hid, the problem would never go away. Reluctantly, he twisted the doorknob and pulled, motioning his visitors inside with a disinterested "What?" "Fonz!" Roger put on an air of false joviality to mask the tension he could feel creeping up inside him. "How are you buddy?" "Peachy," Fonzie said as pulled his plaid bathrobe over his jeans and t- shirt, and tied the belt. "How are you?" "Can't complain." Roger glanced toward Potsie, who wisely stayed silent. "Do you mind if we sit down?" "Knock yourselves out." Fonzie cleared some loose leaf paper and hot rod coloring books off the sofa and waved the men over. Then he took a seat in his reclining chair, all the while being careful to avoid eye contact. "Thanks." Roger took a seat and carefully contemplated what he was going to say. "Fonz.we need your help." "You need my help?" Fonzie echoed. "Of course you need my help. All anyone ever needs is my help." He stood up and shuddered, remembering leaving Joanie's diary out in plain view for Chachi to see. "I think I've helped enough." "Fonz." Roger began. "You have to help us!" Potsie stood up, surprising both Fonzie and Roger. "Look, we're not stupid. We know you had something to do with Joanie and Chachi breaking up." Fonzie tensed, his fists clenching. ".but this is more important than that! You've got to help us find Richie before it's too late!" Fonz relaxed slightly, his fingers uncurling a bit. "What do you mean find Richie? Where is he?" "We don't know," Roger broke in. "No one knows. The day of the.um.fight, he never came home." "That was three days ago. Why didn't anyone tell me?" "Aunt Marion has been calling here night and day, Fonz. You never answer your phone anymore." Roger gently chided. Fonzie ignored Roger's condescending tone. "So what am I supposed to do?" "Give us some ideas.something. Where could he have gone? We've got to find him Fonz. Everyone's a wreck. Aunt Marion, Uncle Howard." "Joanie?" Fonzie quietly asked. "I haven't seen her, actually. She won't leave her room." Roger said. The idea of Shortcake hiding away in her room broke Fonzie's heart, but he tried not to show it. As guilt threatened to consume him once more, he stifled it down into the pit of his stomach. There was no time for guilt now. Not when his family needed him. "Richie may be hurt, Fonz." Roger gently prodded. "Think. Where would he have gone?" Fonzie was silent for a moment, then spoke up. "The only place I can think of is back home. California." Roger clapped his hands together. "Of course! But.I've never been to California. I'd have no idea where to begin." "That's why I'm going with you." Fonzie stood up and threw off his robe, grabbing his leather jacket from the rack by the door. "What about Danny?" Potsie piped up. "What about Danny?" Fonzie repeated, feeling defeated. "Damn! What am I going to do?" "I could stay here and watch him. I'm great with kids!" Potsie grinned. Fonzie looked at Roger, who stared back. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Sure! I baby-sit for my nieces and nephews all the time! Haven't lost a kid yet. Except for that one time when I took them camping. Who knew bears were so easily aggravated?" Potsie asked, puzzled. "Forget it," Fonzie said. "There's got to be someone else." "There isn't anyone else!" Roger stood up. "Fonzie.we've got to find Richie! If Social Services finds out that he abandoned his children - " Fonzie held up his hand and abruptly silenced Roger. "Richie did NOT abandon them!" He turned to Potsie. "Fine, you stay here with Danny. But if anything - I repeat - ANYTHING goes wrong, you call Mrs. C pronto! You got that?" "Sure thing, Fonz!" Potsie answered. "Alright, Roger, let's go!" Roger and Fonzie headed for the front door. Fonzie paused before leaving the house, and stuck his head back in the door. "Webber!" "Yeah Fonz?" Potsie asked. "Do me a favor. You call Mrs. C and apologize for me, okay?" "Okay." "And tell her one more thing." "Yeah Fonz?" "You tell her we're gonna bring her boy home! Whoa!" 


End file.
